Comparison · 2026 edition
Bridge vs Circle Mint: stablecoin settlement compared 2026.
Bridge and Circle Mint side by side in the Stablecoin Settlement Index 2026: scores, evidence, published facts and awards.
WhatsApp and Telegram +44 7563 115980
[email protected]
Bridge and Circle Mint side by side in the Stablecoin Settlement Index 2026: scores, evidence, published facts and awards.
In the Stablecoin Settlement Index, Circle Mint scores higher overall: 4.0 out of 5 (79 out of 100) against 3.7 (74), ranking 1 and 2 of 14. Circle Mint scores higher for paying suppliers and treasury and holding; they tie for receiving from buyers.
Overall and segment scores out of 100, and the score out of 5.
| Score | Bridge | Circle Mint |
|---|---|---|
| Score out of 5 | 3.7 | 4.0 |
| Score out of 100 | 74 | 79 |
| Overall rank | 2 of 14 | 1 of 14 |
| For receiving from buyers (out of 100) | 76, rank 2 | 76, rank 1 |
| For paying suppliers (out of 100) | 69, rank 3 | 74, rank 2 |
| For treasury and holding (out of 100) | 77, rank 2 | 88, rank 1 |
| Type | US money transmitter, EU e-money institution, Stripe group | US money transmitter, EU e-money institution |
Each score with the evidence behind it.
| Criterion | Bridge | Circle Mint |
|---|---|---|
| Licences | 5/5 US licences in 32 states and DC with numbers, plus EU crypto-asset and e-money authorisations in Luxembourg and a Polish registration, all with numbers. | 5/5 Licences in its own name in the US (46 states, New York, OCC trust charter), France (EMI and MiCA), Singapore, UK, Bermuda and ADGM, all with numbers. |
| Published fees | 1/5 Minimums and a 1% ceiling on fiat to fiat spreads published, but no on-ramp, off-ramp or rail fee amounts. | 1/5 No fee schedule; only a 1:1 mint and redeem statement and gas covered in most cases. |
| Coins and rails | 5/5 USDC and USDT on many networks, with US, EU, UK, Mexican, Brazilian and Colombian rails. | 4/5 USDC on 38 networks and US, EU and Asian bank rails, but no USDT and no named UK rail. |
| Settlement | 5/5 Same-day timings published: Fedwire under 3 hours, SEPA Instant and SPEI under 15 minutes. | 4/5 Same business day minting for domestic wires; redemptions typically next business day. |
| Access | 2/5 No published country list; developer API focus. | 5/5 185+ countries with a published list, web console and API. |
| Protection | 4/5 Own custody, segregated per-customer wallets, bankruptcy remote, reserves in Treasury bills with BlackRock; no figure or insurance. | 5/5 Named trust bank custody, segregation, bankruptcy remote structure, an SEC-registered reserve fund reported via BlackRock and monthly Big Four assurance. |
Each criterion is scored 0 to 5 against the best published offer in the Stablecoin Settlement Index. 0 means not offered or not published. How it is scored
What each provider publishes on its own pages, read on 21 October 2026.
| Fact | Bridge | Circle Mint |
|---|---|---|
| Legal status | 'Bridge Building Inc. (NMLS ID 2450917)' for US residents. Company page: EEA services from Bridge Building S.A., 'authorized by the CSSF as a crypto-asset service provider (N00000012) and an electronic money institution (W00000024)'; residents outside the US and EEA served by Bridge Building Limited. Stripe blog: stablecoin balances are 'powered by Bridge', which Stripe acquired. | US: 'Circle Internet Financial, LLC (NMLS ID# 1201441)'; New York 'Virtual Currency License, BL000042' and 'New York Money Transmitter License, MT104963'; First National Digital Currency Bank, N.A., operating as Circle National Trust, OCC 'Federal - Charter Number 25361'. |
| Licences | Money transmitter or equivalent licences listed for 32 states and Washington DC, plus a Louisiana virtual currency licence. Poland: Bridge Building Sp. z o.o., 'Register of Activity in the Scope of Virtual Currencies: RDWW-794' (Polish Financial Supervision Authority). | State licences listed for 46 states (45 money transmitter licences and a Georgia seller of payment instruments licence), Washington DC and Puerto Rico (California DFAL 'Application Pending'). France: Circle Internet Financial Europe SAS, ACPR 'Electronic Money Institution License No. 17788' and AMF 'Crypto-Asset Services Provider - Authorization No. E2026-005'. Singapore: 'Major Payment Institution License No. PS20200630'. UK: 'Financial Conduct Authority E-Money Issuer License, No. 900480'. Bermuda: DAB License No. 54786. ADGM: 'Financial Services Permission Number 250035'. |
| Stablecoins and networks | Route tables include USDC, EURC, USDT, PYUSD, USDB, USDP, USDG and others on Arbitrum, Avalanche, Base, Celo, Ethereum, Optimism, Polygon, Solana, Stellar, Tron, Sui, Aptos and others. 'USDC & EURC are the only stablecoins supported for users in the EEA.' | USDC, EURC and cirBTC. 'USDC is natively supported across 38 blockchain networks' (multi-chain page, June 2026). USDT not listed. |
| Bank rails | ACH, FedNow and wire (USD), SEPA (EUR), SPEI (MXN), Pix (BRL), Faster Payments (GBP), Bre-B (COP). SWIFT 'Limited availability'. | 'FedWire and SWIFT'; real-time rails 'RTP, SPEI, SEPA, and CHATS, in supported regions'; book transfers with a Circle settlement partner. |
| Fees | No on-ramp or off-ramp fee figures published. Virtual account docs: exchange fee 'may be 0'; gas fee 'usually 0 for most currencies and chains'. Fee disclosure statement for users reached through partners: fiat to fiat conversions carry a currency spread 'up to 1%'. Minimums per route, for example USDC: ACH and wire 1, Faster Payments 2, Pix 10, SPEI 50. | No fee schedule published. Business page: 'distributors can avoid extra fees'. Developer docs: 'Circle covers gas fees for outbound stablecoin transfers in most cases.' |
| Settlement | 'ACH - depends on the bank, T+0 or 1'; 'Fedwire - <3 hours'; 'SEPA Instant - <15 mins'; 'SEPA Credit - <1 business day'; 'SPEI - <15 mins'. | Mint: domestic wires received before the daily cutoff 'settle on the same business day'; international wires 1 to 3 business days. Redemption: payouts 'typically settle on the next business day.' |
| Access | No country list published. Customers must be KYC or KYB approved before a virtual account is created. Built for developers through the API. | 'Circle stablecoins are available to mint and redeem' in '185+ countries', with a linked list of eligible regions. 'Circle Mint is not available to individuals.' Web console and APIs. |
| Protection | 'Bridge directly provides custody services'; 'individual segregated wallets per customer'; funds 'bankruptcy-remote from Bridge's operating funds'. 'The majority of reserves are held in Treasury bills with BlackRock'; cash in For Benefit Of accounts at regulated banks. No insurance stated. | US assets held at Circle National Trust, 'institutional-grade protection and asset segregation', 'structured to be bankruptcy remote'; 'not FDIC-insured'. Reserves: majority in the Circle Reserve Fund (USDXX), 'an SEC-registered 2a-7 government money market fund', with portfolio reporting published via BlackRock; remainder in cash, mostly at large banks; monthly assurance by 'a Big Four accounting firm'; holdings disclosed weekly. |
| Date read | 21 October 2026 | 21 October 2026 |
Not published or not stated by Bridge: fees, access and protection.
Not published or not stated by Circle Mint: stablecoins and networks, fees and coins and rails.
Facts read on 21 October 2026 from: bridge.xyz/legal/licenses/…, bridge.xyz/legal/licenses/overview, bridge.xyz/company, apidocs.bridge.xyz/get-started/introduction/…, apidocs.bridge.xyz/platform/orchestration/…, support.bridge.xyz/articles/…, support.bridge.xyz/articles/…, stripe.com/blog/…, bridge.xyz/legal/fee-disclosure-statement/…; and circle.com/en/legal/licenses, circle.com/en/legal/us-licenses, circle.com/businesses, developers.circle.com/circle-mint/concepts/…, circle.com/transparency, circle.com/multi-chain-usdc.
Awards follow from the published scores and cannot be bought.
From each provider's strongest criteria and published terms.
Moving between stablecoins and local bank rails.
Minting and redeeming USDC at scale.
Tell us what you need and where you operate.